The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-04-07
LUCK IN THE DARK.
Befriendrd By an Elephant-A Tram
Realizes Good Chance of q Living.

henlizes GOOD Chance OF Living.
Tn tramp. Whether I was driven
to the road by hard luck or de ire
to lead an easy life is none o you
business. I'm no better or worse than
theaverage.
Some men, with my advantage
would have been In Congress to-day
Some others. with my temptations
would have been in State Prison long
ago.
If the world owes me anything r.
for9ive the debt II owe tho wo |
anything she'll have to dust arouad
lively to collect the debt.
A year or two ago. while I wac
tramping in Indiana, I struck stroa
If hard luck. 1t had come on wint1r
and my toes were out. my pockets ditto
and I was dressed in Summc.
clothing.
I tramped fourteen miles along Z
thickly-settled highway one day an
On the other hand. was Litten three
threatened to shoot me.
and tho other half starved. 1t WI
no use to apply to house for LODI
ings and ! got my eye on straw-stac.
and slowed myself away.
Now, then, there's nothing near
about straw-stack, but it doesn i
begin with a firstclass hotel for COM
fort. You may work into stack YOU
whole length and chink up the hol,
behind you and you'll find it cold
The air seems to sift in from all
directions, and you fall asleep to Dir ..:l
Of floating over cold sea on an lee
berg. The weather was about zero
and by midnight | found that
must get out of that or freeze to
| death.
There was barn about forty rods
away, and crawled out and took a run.
One of the small doors was unlocked,
and / erept in to find the place a
| thousand times more comfortable than
| the stack.
1t was dark as rocket in there, and
l had no matches to strike light.
bean feeling my way across the floor,
hoping to strike some bags or blankets
for cover, when suddenly something soft
and warm touched my arm, glided
Ground my waist and was lifted off my
| feet.
Did yell? No. sir. was too fright
ened to open my potato-trap. l dropped
my arms, and my hands came in contact
with-what do you think?
An elephant had his trunk around me.
Hepulled me gently up to him. and then
felt me over with his trunk, as II
to see what manner OF man was.
AS he offered no violence to me my
nerve came back pretty soon, and
patted him on the head and called
nm pet names. He had big stall
% himself, and as soon as l could
live him the slip began to back
off.
But he wouldn't have it that way.
He reached out, took hold under my
arms, and swung me around into his
manger packed with hay, and I'm
blessed IL the keeper didn't find
me there and fast asleep In the
morning!
l was pretty we'll satisfied that the
teast had no intentions of making
"iy tramp existence any worse than
it was, and as soon as got warm
went to sleep.
What aroused me in the morning was
that elephant trumpeting away In high
dudgeon, and turned out to find thai
she wouldn't let her keeper come with
in ten feet of her. He coaxed and
scoldcd, but she was firm.
While she would trumpet at him
she would caress NC, and it was from
my hands that she got her breakfast
You see, SIC was a circus elephant
winter quarters, and there were a goo
many other animals in and about til
| barn.
The long and short Of It was,
was hired to take care OF EmRr S.
through the Winter, and / should haT
gone on the road with her in the Sprint
but for my own stupidity.
One day got drunk and stirred up ,
lion W tn pitchfork. He struck nj
through the bars of the cage, rakng m.
left arm from shoulder to wrist, ant
the doctors had to aniputate it to SAVE
my life.
That's all, gents, and if you have al
old coat pair Of boots, or anything
else to help tramp trim up for tn
coming Spring campaign shall he for
ever grateful.-[Detroit Free Press.